(no subject)
Feb. 9th, 2026 02:33![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
roseland_feedNight one in the ‘burbs.
roseland_feed(no subject)
Feb. 9th, 2026 02:07roseland_feedWe saw an eagle! “…Was that an eagle? Did we just see an eagle? Have I ever seen an eagle?”
“It looked like an eagle,” John said.
In the afternoon, he said he saw deer in the distance. I’d told him to go to our new bedroom to listen to the silence.
‘Can I call you? I’m in the car,’ my friend texted me. My phone rang before I could say a no, even though I had started the conversation. I answered her call, for a change. She was “selfishly happy” that we live closer now. She was on her way to get food for the Super Bowl. Was my TV still in a box? She could call me to watch the halftime show on her projector in real time. They got a projector because her son asked Santa for one. Their bunny chewed up the main cable line for the TV, and she was so angry, she told him she’d give the bunny away. “The real bad bunny,” I said. I told her about the eagle! The deer. “We are in their neighborhood now.”
“I love the quiet place,” said my exhausted daughter when I was putting her to bed. “What quiet place?” I said. “This quiet place.” Once more, I was convinced she is divine. “It’s good to hear nothing?” She asked.
“It looked like an eagle,” John said.
In the afternoon, he said he saw deer in the distance. I’d told him to go to our new bedroom to listen to the silence.
‘Can I call you? I’m in the car,’ my friend texted me. My phone rang before I could say a no, even though I had started the conversation. I answered her call, for a change. She was “selfishly happy” that we live closer now. She was on her way to get food for the Super Bowl. Was my TV still in a box? She could call me to watch the halftime show on her projector in real time. They got a projector because her son asked Santa for one. Their bunny chewed up the main cable line for the TV, and she was so angry, she told him she’d give the bunny away. “The real bad bunny,” I said. I told her about the eagle! The deer. “We are in their neighborhood now.”
“I love the quiet place,” said my exhausted daughter when I was putting her to bed. “What quiet place?” I said. “This quiet place.” Once more, I was convinced she is divine. “It’s good to hear nothing?” She asked.
Masonic treasures
Feb. 8th, 2026 17:43![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jonwIt’s oddly hard to find Masonic stuff at local vintage and antique markets. As it’s been around forever (ok, like 4 centuries for sure) and given the Masons love their bling (guilty), it feels like it should be more common.
Found this today at a local vintage market that we’ve never found open so far. Happy to find it open today!
This is champagne glass, almost certainly from Colombia. I don't know how old it is but I feel not very. Still lovely to have and I wish there was a possibility I’d learn its travel to Vancouver Island, but I probably never will.
Fayetteville, AR 2026 part 3: Philly Looming, Yummy Eats
Feb. 8th, 2026 19:16taz_39**Disclaimer** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer. DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION. Thank you.
This post covers the weekend.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
FRIDAY
My phone making little pinging sounds woke me up.
It was a friend from Ringling. The circus will be in Philly at the same time as us! They wanted to know if I could come see a show. Unfortunately most of our show times overlap too much, but there's ONE day where it might be possible, so I'm going to look into that (it's a masterclass day so I'll have to get more info.) Then ANOTHER Ringling friend texted, but he's not with Ringling any more, just lives locally. Looks like I'll get to have dinner with him and more circus people! Wooot!! Unexpected reunion!!
After that I spent a lot of time reading updates over on DW (I won't tag anyone here in case you don't want to be seen on LJ, but you know who you are) because a lot of people had an eventful week and wrote extensively about their doings. I like to sit with my morning coffee and be immersed in the interesting lives of people all over the world :)
Did a load of laundry...what a LUXURY to have in-unit washing! Didn't have to set timers or climb up and down stairs or fuss with quarters! I could consider booking airbnbs JUST for that!!! (I won't :P )
Breakfast, and ran through my masterclass early because I've actually got a lot to do today. A solid 45 minutes this time! I did stumble over a few talking points but that's ok, bound to happen. Folded the laundry, and then took myself thrifting.
It was a gorgeous sunny day and close to 60°F (15.5°C)! I soaked it in, because in Philly it's about to be a LOT colder and drearier than that. Walked to Walgreens first for earplugs. It was down a big steep hill so I had to brace myself for the climb back UP the big steep hill (panting and gasping, lol.) Went from there to what I thought was a thrift store and turned out to be a vintage clothing store. Which is fine, but I wouldn't risk bringing nice clothes like that along on tour. Womp womp. There were lots of touristy little shops in this area (I have been here before) so I wandered aimlessly, window shopping and not buying anything and just enjoying being outside in the sun :)
On the way back to the apartment I got some bagels at a local bakery.
Oh! I almost forgot to review the foods from the local co-op!
Red "Xs" across both parts indicate when to switch back to the OTHER part, and yellow dots (which I later changed to purple to avoid confusion) indicate where to pick up after a switch. Ideally I would be turning the pages of both books simultaneously, and therefore when I see a red "X" in whichever I'm reading I could instantly look to the other book and find the purple dot. There are some parts where this system won't work, mostly in trombone-heavy parts where I'll be too entrenched in my own part to switch back and forth. For those cases I will likely write the horn solo into the trombone book as subtext. There are also parts where we both have prominent lines and I obviously can't play both at the same time, so I'd ask DAR which line he'd rather sacrifice in the event of an emergency. Again, very much hoping that I NEVER have to use this and that all of this effort is for nothing.
After probably 3 hours of that I HAD to take a break, transposing was turning my brain to mush! I probably got 1/3 of the way through. Watched some Mighty Nein, had dinner, got dressed for work, and walked to the theater. We had a nice evening show, I can't remember anything special happening and that's a good thing.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
Managed to sleep until 8am, then coffee and descaling my mini Keurig (first time I've done this) and drying it for storage in my trunk. Packed a bunch of trunk things. Got confirmation that I WILL be doing the additional grade-school-level masterclass with my friend whose name is BethAnn. I sent her an invoice and W9 because she made arrangements for me to be paid (unasked for, and how generous!) I still don't have confirmation from Temple but am assuming it'll go through only because better safe than sorry.
With all of that, in Philly I will have
Anyway. A normal morning, masterclass run-through (46 minutes, not bad not bad) lunch, and walking to the theater a bit early to pack my trunk. Many others were doing the same. Tour ritual, I suppose!
The matinee was good, though DAR has pulled his back and was hurting :( He is going to PT between shows and I hope they can help him. If not Connor (Key 1) will conduct.
Between shows we had a special treat! For Black History Month, some of our cast members arranged for a local black-owned restaurant to cater dinner for us! It's from Wes BBQ in Fayetteville and the food was FANTASTIC. Cornbread, brisket, pork, sausage, green beans, potato salad, baked beans, big slices of Texas toast, and sweet potato pie for dessert.
I made myself a plate and scooted away back to the apartment to enjoy it. Good, much appreciated home cooking.
Back at the theater just a short while later, I saw this Mrs. Potts crochet plushie stuck to the bulletin board!
It was made by a local crew member. My favorite part is the sparkly Mickey on the spout (which intentionally or unintentionally references a Hidden Mickey.) It is being auctioned off and the current high bid is $40, but I expect that to jump up by the end of our last show. And tbh, I think that this should just be GIVEN to Kathy (the actress who plays Mrs. Potts) but also understand that a lot of work went into this and the creator should profit!
The evening show was...interesting. DAR decided to sit this one out due to his back (as he very much should!) so Connor conducted. Most things went fine but there were a few weirdnesses...I missed a note that I'd been working on all day, probably psyched myself out?? Missing it made me so annoyed, I wanted to throw my horn!! Then Tim (trumpet)'s valves got stuck during a number, which he says hasn't happened in YEARS. And something odd happened with the vocals too at one point, it was only a split-second and we recovered so smoothly that I doubt the audience noticed. But good grief, it must have been a full moon or something. I joked with Tim that I should buy the Mrs. Potts plush so I'll have something to throw every time I miss a note and get mad :p
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
Coffee, breakfast, prepping and packing for the trip to Philly. I made overnight oats to save time tomorrow, and even brewed my coffee ahead of time so all I have to do is heat it up (or drink it cold.) Made a few changes to Pittsburgh Foodie Finds, and wished my brother Jonah a happy birthday! His b-day falls on Super Bowl Sunday this year so he's not doing anything special. As someone with a February birthday this has happened to me too and I totally get it.
Masterclass run-through (47 minutes) and lunch and off to the theater. Mrs Potts bidding had not changed so I put in a bid of $50.
It felt odd to only have one show on a Sunday! My friend Kizzi, a former circus person, came with her friend to see our show and managed to get down to the pit to say hello just before the show started. The show went "ok." We had NINE understudies in, including a new Gaston who did an excellent job! I just got a feeling--a vibe--that people were distracted and/or thinking about Philadelphia. It is a BUSY two weeks, for all of us.
After the show I packed up super-quick, made sure to thank our French horn sub for filling in and express that it was a pleasure to work with her, and headed out. The last bid I saw on Mrs. Potts was $60.
Our wall tag had just been finished. It is interestingly situated on a corner, and looks like a beautiful book :)
Can you find my initials? (Recall that you can click on the image to enlarge in a new tab.)
Back at the apartment I showered, packed some more, ate dinner, and did a final load of laundry with the Super Bowl on in the background. And now that I'm leaving, you can see what my airbnb looked like. It was very nice and I had a wonderful stay!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: All-day travel to Philadelphia. Hoping to get there with enough time to get groceries.
Tuesday: A Golden Day for some of us because it takes the trucks a long time to get from Arkansas to Philly and then load in. I plan to do a little shopping/get groceries if needed, and meet up with some circus friends for dinner.
This post covers the weekend.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
FRIDAY
My phone making little pinging sounds woke me up.
It was a friend from Ringling. The circus will be in Philly at the same time as us! They wanted to know if I could come see a show. Unfortunately most of our show times overlap too much, but there's ONE day where it might be possible, so I'm going to look into that (it's a masterclass day so I'll have to get more info.) Then ANOTHER Ringling friend texted, but he's not with Ringling any more, just lives locally. Looks like I'll get to have dinner with him and more circus people! Wooot!! Unexpected reunion!!
After that I spent a lot of time reading updates over on DW (I won't tag anyone here in case you don't want to be seen on LJ, but you know who you are) because a lot of people had an eventful week and wrote extensively about their doings. I like to sit with my morning coffee and be immersed in the interesting lives of people all over the world :)
Did a load of laundry...what a LUXURY to have in-unit washing! Didn't have to set timers or climb up and down stairs or fuss with quarters! I could consider booking airbnbs JUST for that!!! (I won't :P )
Breakfast, and ran through my masterclass early because I've actually got a lot to do today. A solid 45 minutes this time! I did stumble over a few talking points but that's ok, bound to happen. Folded the laundry, and then took myself thrifting.
It was a gorgeous sunny day and close to 60°F (15.5°C)! I soaked it in, because in Philly it's about to be a LOT colder and drearier than that. Walked to Walgreens first for earplugs. It was down a big steep hill so I had to brace myself for the climb back UP the big steep hill (panting and gasping, lol.) Went from there to what I thought was a thrift store and turned out to be a vintage clothing store. Which is fine, but I wouldn't risk bringing nice clothes like that along on tour. Womp womp. There were lots of touristy little shops in this area (I have been here before) so I wandered aimlessly, window shopping and not buying anything and just enjoying being outside in the sun :)
On the way back to the apartment I got some bagels at a local bakery.
Oh! I almost forgot to review the foods from the local co-op!
- "Sweeties" Almonds: 8/10 They're a basic candied nut, sweet and delicious, but not overly sugary like the ones you get at Buc-ee's or at fairs and such. The chai spices came through nicely. I'd like to try their other flavors too :)
- Blueberry Sourdough Bagels: 10/10 These are awesome!! Real whole fresh blueberries were used and that makes a difference. I bought them fresh so they were soft and chewy. You can taste the sourdough tang, too. Totally awesome.
- Sweet Potato Soup: 7/10 This is REALLY thick, more like a hearty stew! Big pieces of vegetables, and made with very basic ingredients, no preservatives or excess salt. It's just slightly spicy. Tbh it was a bit gritty at times, points off mostly for that and because I found the texture kinda offputting. But over rice it was VERY good. If I saw it again I would buy it, and hope that the texture issue was a one-off.
- Olyra Cinnamon Tahini: 4/10 Not impressed. I mean, they were "good," like acceptable, but very dry and crumbly and imo less flavorful than a Biscoff. I didn't get tahini flavor at all. Overall I am sorry to say these reminded me of a teething biscuit! Would not buy again. In fact I'm bringing them to the theater to see if someone will take them off my hands.
Red "Xs" across both parts indicate when to switch back to the OTHER part, and yellow dots (which I later changed to purple to avoid confusion) indicate where to pick up after a switch. Ideally I would be turning the pages of both books simultaneously, and therefore when I see a red "X" in whichever I'm reading I could instantly look to the other book and find the purple dot. There are some parts where this system won't work, mostly in trombone-heavy parts where I'll be too entrenched in my own part to switch back and forth. For those cases I will likely write the horn solo into the trombone book as subtext. There are also parts where we both have prominent lines and I obviously can't play both at the same time, so I'd ask DAR which line he'd rather sacrifice in the event of an emergency. Again, very much hoping that I NEVER have to use this and that all of this effort is for nothing.
After probably 3 hours of that I HAD to take a break, transposing was turning my brain to mush! I probably got 1/3 of the way through. Watched some Mighty Nein, had dinner, got dressed for work, and walked to the theater. We had a nice evening show, I can't remember anything special happening and that's a good thing.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
Managed to sleep until 8am, then coffee and descaling my mini Keurig (first time I've done this) and drying it for storage in my trunk. Packed a bunch of trunk things. Got confirmation that I WILL be doing the additional grade-school-level masterclass with my friend whose name is BethAnn. I sent her an invoice and W9 because she made arrangements for me to be paid (unasked for, and how generous!) I still don't have confirmation from Temple but am assuming it'll go through only because better safe than sorry.
With all of that, in Philly I will have
- Three groups of family attending shows on three separate days
- Time presumably spent visiting with all three family groups across those days
- Three masterclasses on three additional separate days, two of which are 90-minute round trips
- Meeting with our Musician's Union rep on Valentine's Day between shows
- Possible meeting with our creative director/supervisor
- Dinner with circus friends one night
- Misc other small meet-ups, coffee grabs, meals, etc with friends who have reached out
- ...and of course eight shows each week with completely sold out crowds nearly every night!
Anyway. A normal morning, masterclass run-through (46 minutes, not bad not bad) lunch, and walking to the theater a bit early to pack my trunk. Many others were doing the same. Tour ritual, I suppose!
The matinee was good, though DAR has pulled his back and was hurting :( He is going to PT between shows and I hope they can help him. If not Connor (Key 1) will conduct.
Between shows we had a special treat! For Black History Month, some of our cast members arranged for a local black-owned restaurant to cater dinner for us! It's from Wes BBQ in Fayetteville and the food was FANTASTIC. Cornbread, brisket, pork, sausage, green beans, potato salad, baked beans, big slices of Texas toast, and sweet potato pie for dessert.
I made myself a plate and scooted away back to the apartment to enjoy it. Good, much appreciated home cooking.
Back at the theater just a short while later, I saw this Mrs. Potts crochet plushie stuck to the bulletin board!
It was made by a local crew member. My favorite part is the sparkly Mickey on the spout (which intentionally or unintentionally references a Hidden Mickey.) It is being auctioned off and the current high bid is $40, but I expect that to jump up by the end of our last show. And tbh, I think that this should just be GIVEN to Kathy (the actress who plays Mrs. Potts) but also understand that a lot of work went into this and the creator should profit!
The evening show was...interesting. DAR decided to sit this one out due to his back (as he very much should!) so Connor conducted. Most things went fine but there were a few weirdnesses...I missed a note that I'd been working on all day, probably psyched myself out?? Missing it made me so annoyed, I wanted to throw my horn!! Then Tim (trumpet)'s valves got stuck during a number, which he says hasn't happened in YEARS. And something odd happened with the vocals too at one point, it was only a split-second and we recovered so smoothly that I doubt the audience noticed. But good grief, it must have been a full moon or something. I joked with Tim that I should buy the Mrs. Potts plush so I'll have something to throw every time I miss a note and get mad :p
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
Coffee, breakfast, prepping and packing for the trip to Philly. I made overnight oats to save time tomorrow, and even brewed my coffee ahead of time so all I have to do is heat it up (or drink it cold.) Made a few changes to Pittsburgh Foodie Finds, and wished my brother Jonah a happy birthday! His b-day falls on Super Bowl Sunday this year so he's not doing anything special. As someone with a February birthday this has happened to me too and I totally get it.
Masterclass run-through (47 minutes) and lunch and off to the theater. Mrs Potts bidding had not changed so I put in a bid of $50.
It felt odd to only have one show on a Sunday! My friend Kizzi, a former circus person, came with her friend to see our show and managed to get down to the pit to say hello just before the show started. The show went "ok." We had NINE understudies in, including a new Gaston who did an excellent job! I just got a feeling--a vibe--that people were distracted and/or thinking about Philadelphia. It is a BUSY two weeks, for all of us.
After the show I packed up super-quick, made sure to thank our French horn sub for filling in and express that it was a pleasure to work with her, and headed out. The last bid I saw on Mrs. Potts was $60.
Our wall tag had just been finished. It is interestingly situated on a corner, and looks like a beautiful book :)
Can you find my initials? (Recall that you can click on the image to enlarge in a new tab.)
Back at the apartment I showered, packed some more, ate dinner, and did a final load of laundry with the Super Bowl on in the background. And now that I'm leaving, you can see what my airbnb looked like. It was very nice and I had a wonderful stay!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: All-day travel to Philadelphia. Hoping to get there with enough time to get groceries.
Tuesday: A Golden Day for some of us because it takes the trucks a long time to get from Arkansas to Philly and then load in. I plan to do a little shopping/get groceries if needed, and meet up with some circus friends for dinner.
(no subject)
Feb. 8th, 2026 14:33flemmingsWell, the sun was shining and tomorrow is supposed to snow and I need milk so out I went in my warmest coat and fleecy trousers and longjohns. No idea what the city has done with respect to the sidewalk clearing. They put down salt all up my block so I had no trouble getting to physio last week, but going *down* the block we were all back to snow berms and cratered packed snow. So it was still heave the walker up and down for half the journey, almost as bad as ten days ago. But anyway, now I can have my cocoa again, my one treat, and I did *not* buy any pastry or pasta meals so go me, I suppose. Also bought more chocolate soy milk because my shopper last week bought me cappuccino flavour, in spite of the wp saying 'many in stock' about the chocolate. I won't say 'men' about male Instacart and Uber shoppers getting my orders wrong because male Voila shoppers get things right, but Voila has those big ass trucks that are a hassle in winter. Otherwise I'd be ordering from them.
Started rereading the Riddlemaster trilogy, untouched for nearly half a century for some reason. Was having a hard time with my hardcover vol 1, again for no reason I could discern. Got it from the library in ebook and that was not only readable but had the advantage that I could consult the map in the hardcover on the frequent occasions when I had no idea where Morgon was at any point. This never bothered me in my 20s but now I hate not knowing where a fictional here is. And in ebook I can highlight and search a name on the frequent occasions when I've forgotten what the story on Kern or Yrth or whoever is-- and lord were there many many of those. I've heard tell that there are indications that the trilogy is actually SF rather than straight fantasy, which I will ignore because I don't want anyone Severianing my fantasy, thank you.
Started rereading the Riddlemaster trilogy, untouched for nearly half a century for some reason. Was having a hard time with my hardcover vol 1, again for no reason I could discern. Got it from the library in ebook and that was not only readable but had the advantage that I could consult the map in the hardcover on the frequent occasions when I had no idea where Morgon was at any point. This never bothered me in my 20s but now I hate not knowing where a fictional here is. And in ebook I can highlight and search a name on the frequent occasions when I've forgotten what the story on Kern or Yrth or whoever is-- and lord were there many many of those. I've heard tell that there are indications that the trilogy is actually SF rather than straight fantasy, which I will ignore because I don't want anyone Severianing my fantasy, thank you.
shadowkat1. Another bitterly cold day, actually worse than yesterday. Woke up to no hot water in the shower - per the Super, the pipe had froze. Apparently the folks in the apartments on the 6th and 4th floors barely use the hot water (they must be very stinky?) and the 5th is now vacant.
Me: What happened to the new tenant in the 5th Floor apartment, did they leave already.
Super: They passed away.
So they took heaters up to the 5th floor and 6th and got the hot water working. Apparently the 4th is fine. (I'm annoyed I was dripping the hot water - and had even taken a hot shower at 11 pm). Their solution is to put another radiator in the bathroom (I already have one in there) and close the door - apparently this worked on the 5th and 6th floor. And open the hot water valve.
They also decided to turn on the radiator in my bedroom. Because 64 degrees in the bedroom, with the windows covered and the cracks patched up, is too cold. The building code is 70 degrees.
After all that work to get the radiator turned off in the bedroom - it's back on again, because the temperatures decided to go below 0 this weekend.
So, how's your Sunday going so far?
Some church services were cancelled. Mine wasn't - I'm watching it on Youtube on time delay (I kept pausing it to deal with the Super). And no it wasn't done virtually - they are actually there having service and live-streaming it. People came from Chinatown - for the first time. Now, that's dedication.
2. Speaking of dedication? Found this via brithistorian yesterday....
"The rule: In order to prevent ski jumpers from going full flying squirrel with their suits, they undergo a 3D body scan, which determines the dimensions (and hence the surface area) of their suit.
The allegation: It has been alleged that some ski jumpers are having their penises injected with hyaluronic acid to make them bigger and thus net them extra cloth in the crotch of their suits. It's not a lot, but given the tight margins of victory in some Olympic competitions, it could make a difference.
The ruling: WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency) has said they have no definitive evidence that this has ever been done, and in fact they aren't even sure that this would fall under the definition of doping, but they do say they'll be looking into it."
Now, assuming folks are actually doing this? That's dedication. It didn't say what the women ski jumpers do - but yes my mind went there.
[Personally? You couldn't pay me enough to do ski jumping. I don't ski. Tried that, won't do it again. It's a real good way to permanently injure yourself for no good reason - which is why my father refused to ski - he considered it an expensive, cold, dangerous sport with no point.]
***
3. Watching Angel S4 and Buffy S7 back to back or together kind of hammers home how impossible it is for Angel to be redeemed. ( Read more... )
Now, I'm kind of watching Katee Sackoff and her husband watching herself play Starbuck in BSG, they've never seen it. (This is a thing, now? Actors watching themselves in iconic/popular 25 year old television series in podcasts. And you get to watch the actor freaking out over the show, and their own acting, and realizing, wow, this was a great show.) Sackoff is kind of similar to Juliet Landau, because both know filmmaking, and they are doing it with another person.
This is just making me want to rewatch Battle Star Galatica and I have enough shows in my to watch queues without adding re-watches. Stopped.
Me: What happened to the new tenant in the 5th Floor apartment, did they leave already.
Super: They passed away.
So they took heaters up to the 5th floor and 6th and got the hot water working. Apparently the 4th is fine. (I'm annoyed I was dripping the hot water - and had even taken a hot shower at 11 pm). Their solution is to put another radiator in the bathroom (I already have one in there) and close the door - apparently this worked on the 5th and 6th floor. And open the hot water valve.
They also decided to turn on the radiator in my bedroom. Because 64 degrees in the bedroom, with the windows covered and the cracks patched up, is too cold. The building code is 70 degrees.
After all that work to get the radiator turned off in the bedroom - it's back on again, because the temperatures decided to go below 0 this weekend.
So, how's your Sunday going so far?
Some church services were cancelled. Mine wasn't - I'm watching it on Youtube on time delay (I kept pausing it to deal with the Super). And no it wasn't done virtually - they are actually there having service and live-streaming it. People came from Chinatown - for the first time. Now, that's dedication.
2. Speaking of dedication? Found this via brithistorian yesterday....
"The rule: In order to prevent ski jumpers from going full flying squirrel with their suits, they undergo a 3D body scan, which determines the dimensions (and hence the surface area) of their suit.
The allegation: It has been alleged that some ski jumpers are having their penises injected with hyaluronic acid to make them bigger and thus net them extra cloth in the crotch of their suits. It's not a lot, but given the tight margins of victory in some Olympic competitions, it could make a difference.
The ruling: WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency) has said they have no definitive evidence that this has ever been done, and in fact they aren't even sure that this would fall under the definition of doping, but they do say they'll be looking into it."
Now, assuming folks are actually doing this? That's dedication. It didn't say what the women ski jumpers do - but yes my mind went there.
[Personally? You couldn't pay me enough to do ski jumping. I don't ski. Tried that, won't do it again. It's a real good way to permanently injure yourself for no good reason - which is why my father refused to ski - he considered it an expensive, cold, dangerous sport with no point.]
***
3. Watching Angel S4 and Buffy S7 back to back or together kind of hammers home how impossible it is for Angel to be redeemed. ( Read more... )
Now, I'm kind of watching Katee Sackoff and her husband watching herself play Starbuck in BSG, they've never seen it. (This is a thing, now? Actors watching themselves in iconic/popular 25 year old television series in podcasts. And you get to watch the actor freaking out over the show, and their own acting, and realizing, wow, this was a great show.) Sackoff is kind of similar to Juliet Landau, because both know filmmaking, and they are doing it with another person.
This is just making me want to rewatch Battle Star Galatica and I have enough shows in my to watch queues without adding re-watches. Stopped.
February 8, 2026 + February 24 & 25, 2026
Feb. 8th, 2026 07:49lizzybuffy20088. How often do you read fiction?
All of the time. It is my preference rather than nonfiction. I read 50 books last year and hope to do about the same this year.
24. What are you watching this month that you are enjoying?
We re-watched "The Night Manager," so we could watch season 2. The first was excellent, the second is good, but not quite as good. Also watching figure skating in the Olympics.
25. When was the last time the windows in your home were washed?
It's been a couple of years. It is something we will (hopefully) do more regularly once K retires.
All of the time. It is my preference rather than nonfiction. I read 50 books last year and hope to do about the same this year.
24. What are you watching this month that you are enjoying?
We re-watched "The Night Manager," so we could watch season 2. The first was excellent, the second is good, but not quite as good. Also watching figure skating in the Olympics.
25. When was the last time the windows in your home were washed?
It's been a couple of years. It is something we will (hopefully) do more regularly once K retires.
Another grey day on St Aldhelm's Head
Feb. 8th, 2026 12:25puddlesharkAnother grey day, though the rain held off for a few hours this morning, and another walk across the high ground, this time following the chalk track along St Aldhelm's Head.
Even the high ground is wet.
( Black & white photos, and grey photos )
Even the high ground is wet.
( Black & white photos, and grey photos )
fun meme from cmcmck
Feb. 8th, 2026 12:09cosmolinguist1 what's your favourite kitchen appliance?
I never really thought about ranking them. The kettle is probably my favorite because it gets used the most.
2 do you have a collection of anything?
Random things related to Stitch (from Lilo & Stitch)
3 what's the best job you've ever had?
Probably the one I have now.
4 what's the worst job you've ever had?
Temping for minimum wage in a team that chased people up for overdue loans. I was new to the UK, so my partner and I were ineligible for all benefits, and I had a lot more in common with the people on the other side of these phone calls I could hear all day long as I was becoming The One Who Could Make the Printer Work and learning to like bananas because we had free fruit in the office and I needed the calories.
5 what's your favourite piece of furniture and where did you get it?
The green couch I bought the WonderHouse is pretty good. I can't remember where it came from; V sorted it out online of course.
6 what's your go-to recipe when you want to make something that requires minimal effort?
"Minimal effort" to me is taking something out of the freezer and putting it in the oven, which isn't a recipe. I guess in terms of things that I'd call a recipe that aren't difficult (and really pay off in how delicious it is, there's always the broccoli halloumi thing.
7 are you married or do you intend to get married?
I am not. I wouldn't say I intend to but I didn't intend to the other time either and it ended up being useful for geopolitical reasons so I wouldn't rule that out again in the future.
8 do you have kids? do you want them?
No and...I do not want to have them in terms of from my own body, and I'm fine that my life doesn't seem to have brought me any, but also if it had I think that would've been fine too.
9 are you on good terms with your parents?
...yes? This kinda came up at transgym yesterday: on the spectrum between good parents and shit parents mine are kinda...shit in practice but also... I talk to them every Sunday evening, which a lot of people would consider being pretty close and my parents consider less than the minimum to be happy.
10 do you have siblings? do you hang out with them?
ahahaha I have never found a good answer to this question. Do I have siblings in that I do and he turns up in anecdotes and suchlike? Or do I not in that if I say I do people ask stuff like "do you hang out with him?" and I can never hang out with him.
11 do you vote?
I vote in two countries! I just applied for a postal vote for the upcoming by election, because I can't remember if I'd done that since I got the notifications about it expiring.
12 what's the biggest purchase you've ever made?
Technically the mortgage on my old house but that didn't feel like a purchase. Next up is my Indefinite Leave to Remain which cost me I think I calculated about £7500 -- at the time. Using the Bank of England's inflation calculator, that'd be £12,828.24, and that's not counting that the Home Office has more-than-doubled the costs of those visas and applications since.
13 what are your hobbies?
Listening to podcasts, watching baseball.
14 what's a hobby you'd like to get into?
Hiking.
15 do you collect anything?
Aches, cynicism, grudges... wait, is this a question about knickknacks?
16 how long have you known your oldest friend?
I'm not really in very good touch with anyone I knew before I moved here, so probaby 18 or 19 years (despite being partners and good friends before that, neither D or I can remember what year we actually met but it was either 18 or 19 years ago).
17 are you a member of any clubs or associations?
local Queer Club. I have a gym membership lol. I don't think anything else?
18 have you ever changed fields in your career or education?
I'm a millennial, we don't get fields and careers. Not the disabled ones among us especially.
19 how many wisdom teeth do you have and have you had any removed?
I had them all taken out at 18, I didn't want to, my dentist said I had to, they'd be causing me loads of pain. They never did. I'm still convinced he did it to get money out of my parents.
20 what's your favourite beverage?
Coffee
21 do you have any living grandparents?
I did until a year ago.
22 do you have nieces/nephews/godchildren/other kids in your life that aren't yours?
D's niblings, his sister's two kids. They are great. They're also tweens/young teens now so increasingly absent/mysterious/incomprehensible, but still such good fun when we do get to hang out.
23 what's the coolest place you've visited?
There are so many, and it's hard to compare them. At the moment my first thought is the Atomium in Brussels.
24 what's your most recent degree and has it been useful to you?
BA (Hons) Linguistics. It has been very useful to me: not in an employment sense (beyond the fact that I think having a degree made it easier to get my job), but it has been so helpful to me to be able to approach my life and the world through this lens.
25 would you rather own a dishwasher or a washing machine if you could only have one or the other?
Oh the times in my life when I haven't owned a (working) washing machine have been absolutely miserable. It's much easier to wash dishes by hand than to wash clothes by hand (or go to the laundromat even if there is one closer now than there used to be because it's where my barber was!).
26 do you make a list before going to the grocery store or just wing it?
We mostly shop online. D has a kind of master list that we just tick off what we need each week(ish) when we do the order.
27 what's your favourite household chore?
Mowing the lawn.
28 what chore do you hate the most?
Cleaning things I don't know how to clean/never feel like I get it clean.
29 do you have houseplants and how are you at keeping them alive?
We have so many, I'm so lucky. V looks after them; this is something else I would be shit at noticing in time. But I love living surrounded by them.
30 what's your living arrangement? (who do you live with, in what kind of building, do you own or rent or other?
I live with my boyfriend and his partner, in a suburban semi-detached house that I think was social housing? Sold in the 80s to a builder who...did things to it himself, many of which have consequences we're still living with. Technically the mortgage is D's and I'm a lodger but in practice all three of us contribute to the bills/food/household stuff.
Sunday
Feb. 8th, 2026 01:45k_sereinroomHere's how it's going: Maybe if I make a to-do list for tomorrow, and then give myself a week to do it, things will work out.
52/342: I'm In My Fridge Not Eating My Foodz
Feb. 7th, 2026 20:02rejectomorphIt appears that I've grown sick of the whole eating meals thing, as I haven't done it for a while. Friday night I thought about making a meal but gave up and opened a can of soup. I can't remember Thursday but I'm pretty sure I ate something other than a meal that night too. Tonight I'm feeling pretty resistant to the very idea of mealness, but can't think of an adequate substitute. In the meantime I've spoiled what appetite I had by snacking on candy. There was a part of a Toblerone bar, and now there isn't.
Oh, I've just recalled I have popcorn. Popcorn is an excellent meal avoidant. It is almost food itself, and can be buttered. If something has butter on it, my mind is inclined to consider it a near-meal. I might find it easier to sleep after that.
But weather. The highs in the sixties will continue for a couple more days, but Wednesday will be chilly and will probably bring some actual rain. Actual rain will be nice for a change. I can't think of a single reason not to be pleased with the prospect. Maybe it will even give me an appetite for an actual meal. Stranger things have happened. In fact stranger things are pretty common. No need to be excited. Especially so close to bedtime. As soon as I eat that popcorn.
Oh, I've just recalled I have popcorn. Popcorn is an excellent meal avoidant. It is almost food itself, and can be buttered. If something has butter on it, my mind is inclined to consider it a near-meal. I might find it easier to sleep after that.
But weather. The highs in the sixties will continue for a couple more days, but Wednesday will be chilly and will probably bring some actual rain. Actual rain will be nice for a change. I can't think of a single reason not to be pleased with the prospect. Maybe it will even give me an appetite for an actual meal. Stranger things have happened. In fact stranger things are pretty common. No need to be excited. Especially so close to bedtime. As soon as I eat that popcorn.
Lies my parents told me - Buffy S7 Episode 17
Feb. 7th, 2026 19:56shadowkatDue to the bitter cold and resting the knee - haven't done much today. Outside of a few knee exercises - need to do a few more.
Moseyed onto yet another episode of Buffy S7 - Lies My Parents Told Me. It's written by Drew Goddard and David Fury, and directed by Fury (who has a bit of a mean streak and wrote Helpless). ( long and rambling )
Moseyed onto yet another episode of Buffy S7 - Lies My Parents Told Me. It's written by Drew Goddard and David Fury, and directed by Fury (who has a bit of a mean streak and wrote Helpless). ( long and rambling )
Brrr-umph. Hibernating on a Saturday...so a long-winded post
Feb. 7th, 2026 15:16shadowkatHibernating in my apartment (because it is -16 degrees F outside with windchill, that translates to - 26 C (correction - it's now dropped to 6 degrees and is between -12 and -14, so I guess the wind is leveling off at least?), it's 68 degrees inside with radiators). I'm wearing a turtle neck, sweats, and fluffy socks. So I'm warm. Had hot coco earlier.
( Read more... )
I did finish "Buffy S7: Storyteller" - and the ending isn't bad? ( Read more... )
Then watched two episodes of The Pitt S2 - which were excellent. I love this series. (It's a hyper-realistic medical procedural that focuses on one 16 hour shift in an American inner city ER. It's less personal than This is Gonna Hurt or ER, in that we don't see the home lives of any of the characters. The only set is the ER and the immediate area into and out of it. We see Dr. Robi riding his motorcycle to the ER to start his last night shift before leaving on sabbatical, but after that? It's indoors. Medical health care workers - have stated that when people ask them to describe what they do? They point to the Pitt.)
I can relate - I have troubles explaining my profession too - although it's not that, and no one in their right mind would do a television show off of it. The viewers would go to sleep, god knows, I do.
Mother called after the figure skating (partly to apologize for the American's short program being a disappointment - it isn't usually) and to tell me about a comedy sketch she's working on for her retirement center's variety program. The center's self-appointed theater director has grown weary of writing sketches and has asked people to write or develop their own acts to be edited together into one program. They just have to write it about the center and issues involving it. Mother's decided to do a "Who's on First, What's on Second" sketch - except using maintenance workers.
( Mother's skit - well so far )
I wished her luck with it. She's presenting it to her friend (the self-appointed theater director) tomorrow. (Mother is 83 turning 84 this year, and her friend is about four-five years older, I think.)
**
The self-appointed Buddhist expert on FB posted a list of things to do to change your life and become...I don't know? Calmer? More empathetic? A better person? One never knows with self-appointed internet Buddhist experts.
Their list?
( 6 month plan to become unrecognizable.. )
Anywho - the first three aren't bad: Get sun regularly, practice gratitude, practice detachment (unless of course it means becoming a sociopath - in which case? Bad Buddhist, and I do not think that's what Buddhism is about). But the fourth one kind of lost me and I fluttered away after that, arguing with the person who posted in my head (assuming of course it is an actual person? It could be Generative AI or a Digitial auto pilot account, one never knows these days. (And also not very Buddhist. Techie, yes, Buddhist, no.)
( Read more... )
**
Against my better judgement, I caved and made brownies. ( Read more... )
**
I've managed to do my knee exercises or most of them - the important ones at any rate. Not necessarily three times today, but the knee was hurting still from yesterday. I'd stood on it too long - so it wanted to rest. It finally stopped hurting sometime around noon.
***
Memage
4. How old is the oldest book you own?
God knows. It appears to be On the Road with Jack Keroack - 1955. I was going to say my copy of the Hobbit or the Last Hurrah, but On the Road wins. (I don't tend to keep old books - since I'm allergic to the dust and book mold - and I don't have the space, and I can barely read the small print any longer.)
5. It’s the 60th anniversary of the game ‘Twister’ – have you ever played it?
Yes. Although not since the 1980s. I vaguely remember enjoying it a lot in the 1970s as a kid.
6. In 1869, Harper's Weekly published the first picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers. Do you know anyone with a beard or a moustache?
Most of my neighbors and male co-workers. My boss has a beard and moustache, his boss does. Most of the young men in the neighborhood do. Most of my male neighbors - next door, across the hall, downstairs, the guy in the basement. It's incredibly trendy at the moment?
7. Is there a subject at school which you disliked, but you would consider learning now?
No. The ones I disliked, I ended up learning in spite of myself, and unfortunately doing for a living and figuring out on my own. So I don't think it matters? There's no avoiding math. It's a fact of life. As is business law, contracts, and property law. Whether you go to law school or not. Same with computers. Can't avoid it.
Science? No. I hated biology then, I hate it now. Dissection really wasn't my thing. And chemistry - too many annoying formulas and you kind of need to know calculus.
( Read more... )
I did finish "Buffy S7: Storyteller" - and the ending isn't bad? ( Read more... )
Then watched two episodes of The Pitt S2 - which were excellent. I love this series. (It's a hyper-realistic medical procedural that focuses on one 16 hour shift in an American inner city ER. It's less personal than This is Gonna Hurt or ER, in that we don't see the home lives of any of the characters. The only set is the ER and the immediate area into and out of it. We see Dr. Robi riding his motorcycle to the ER to start his last night shift before leaving on sabbatical, but after that? It's indoors. Medical health care workers - have stated that when people ask them to describe what they do? They point to the Pitt.)
I can relate - I have troubles explaining my profession too - although it's not that, and no one in their right mind would do a television show off of it. The viewers would go to sleep, god knows, I do.
Mother called after the figure skating (partly to apologize for the American's short program being a disappointment - it isn't usually) and to tell me about a comedy sketch she's working on for her retirement center's variety program. The center's self-appointed theater director has grown weary of writing sketches and has asked people to write or develop their own acts to be edited together into one program. They just have to write it about the center and issues involving it. Mother's decided to do a "Who's on First, What's on Second" sketch - except using maintenance workers.
( Mother's skit - well so far )
I wished her luck with it. She's presenting it to her friend (the self-appointed theater director) tomorrow. (Mother is 83 turning 84 this year, and her friend is about four-five years older, I think.)
**
The self-appointed Buddhist expert on FB posted a list of things to do to change your life and become...I don't know? Calmer? More empathetic? A better person? One never knows with self-appointed internet Buddhist experts.
Their list?
( 6 month plan to become unrecognizable.. )
Anywho - the first three aren't bad: Get sun regularly, practice gratitude, practice detachment (unless of course it means becoming a sociopath - in which case? Bad Buddhist, and I do not think that's what Buddhism is about). But the fourth one kind of lost me and I fluttered away after that, arguing with the person who posted in my head (assuming of course it is an actual person? It could be Generative AI or a Digitial auto pilot account, one never knows these days. (And also not very Buddhist. Techie, yes, Buddhist, no.)
( Read more... )
**
Against my better judgement, I caved and made brownies. ( Read more... )
**
I've managed to do my knee exercises or most of them - the important ones at any rate. Not necessarily three times today, but the knee was hurting still from yesterday. I'd stood on it too long - so it wanted to rest. It finally stopped hurting sometime around noon.
***
Memage
4. How old is the oldest book you own?
God knows. It appears to be On the Road with Jack Keroack - 1955. I was going to say my copy of the Hobbit or the Last Hurrah, but On the Road wins. (I don't tend to keep old books - since I'm allergic to the dust and book mold - and I don't have the space, and I can barely read the small print any longer.)
5. It’s the 60th anniversary of the game ‘Twister’ – have you ever played it?
Yes. Although not since the 1980s. I vaguely remember enjoying it a lot in the 1970s as a kid.
6. In 1869, Harper's Weekly published the first picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers. Do you know anyone with a beard or a moustache?
Most of my neighbors and male co-workers. My boss has a beard and moustache, his boss does. Most of the young men in the neighborhood do. Most of my male neighbors - next door, across the hall, downstairs, the guy in the basement. It's incredibly trendy at the moment?
7. Is there a subject at school which you disliked, but you would consider learning now?
No. The ones I disliked, I ended up learning in spite of myself, and unfortunately doing for a living and figuring out on my own. So I don't think it matters? There's no avoiding math. It's a fact of life. As is business law, contracts, and property law. Whether you go to law school or not. Same with computers. Can't avoid it.
Science? No. I hated biology then, I hate it now. Dissection really wasn't my thing. And chemistry - too many annoying formulas and you kind of need to know calculus.
Heads
Feb. 7th, 2026 21:24cosmolinguistThis afternoon, diffrentcolours and I were watching a documentary about chemistry with Jim Al-Khalili. (D has done sterling work getting the TV to be able to talk to his file server, so it's way easier to watch random things he has downloaded for us...like this BBC documentary about the history of chemistry.)
Suddenly, out of nowhere, D said of Dr. Al-Khalili, "He has a good scientist head."
"He really does!" I replied immediately.
Then I paused.
Then I said "Wait, I don't know what that means, and I don't know why I was so convinced of it."
Maybe it's the baldness?
Bald/shaved heads are so good. This came up at transgym this morning too: I was complaining about how much sweat my hair has absorbed because it's too long now --the last haircut I had was on my birthday! 3-4 weeks is plenty for my hair to need cutting again; the one problem with really short hair is it doesn't stay that way for long. And my barber has suddenly turned into a laundromat -- seriously, it only took a month for it to be open as a completely different kind of business! -- so I need to try a new one and I haven't had time and ugh...maybe tomorrow.
Anyway, as I was complaining, I was overhead by F, a guy with a shaved head, who said "enjoy it while it lasts!" Apparently he's still in his 20s, bless him. But it got me and our friend A talking about how much we like bald guys as an aesthetic, and then D told us about the subreddit for bald people, where guys share photos of them with thinning/receding hair, all sad about it, and then photos of them bald, happy, no longer giving a fuck. I think it's that "the way to win the game of conventional attractiveness is not to play" transformation that makes this seem sexy to me.
(Not that baldness can't be conventionally attractive, but a lot of balding guys seem to think that. Even if they're just having to get used to the change or confronting their mortality or whatever they do, I don't know. But it seems to do them some good to have to come to terms about it, if not embrace it.)
(Plus obviously bald heads are sexy because a nice close shave is fun to touch, and in the right circumstances I think the stubble can feel good too...)
Quiet place
Feb. 7th, 2026 15:34hunninghamThis morning I have cleared up & picked up & put away. I have changed beds & hoovered & done the laundry. I have washed up & planned food for the week & done the food shopping. I have taken father-in-law out for an indulgent lunch.
And now I'm being quiet. Father-in-law is having a little nap, himself is away for the day (rugby at Twickenham), cat is off doing cat things and I have the living room to myself. I'm reading, and ignoring the to-do list.
The luxury of not doing, of being quiet in the middle of the day.
And now I'm being quiet. Father-in-law is having a little nap, himself is away for the day (rugby at Twickenham), cat is off doing cat things and I have the living room to myself. I'm reading, and ignoring the to-do list.
The luxury of not doing, of being quiet in the middle of the day.
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February 6 & 7, 2026 + February 22 & 23, 2026
Feb. 7th, 2026 07:40lizzybuffy20086. In 1869, Harper's Weekly published the first picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers. Do you know anyone with a beard or a moustache?
K had a mustache when we dated, got married and for about 6 years after (he cannot grow a beard.) He has been clean shaven for the last 30 years though. His middle brother sometimes has a goatee.
7. Is there a subject at school which you disliked, but you would consider learning now?
No, I loved school, so there was nothing much I disliked.
22. What is your favourite writing implement – a fountain pen, ballpoint pen, pencil or something else?
I like to write with a pen that has a semi fine point and does not smudge.
23. Do you own many mirrors?
Besides the ones in our 3 bathrooms, I have a handheld, a lighted make-up mirror, a free standing mirror in the bedroom and a couple of large mirrors in our gym in the basement.
K had a mustache when we dated, got married and for about 6 years after (he cannot grow a beard.) He has been clean shaven for the last 30 years though. His middle brother sometimes has a goatee.
7. Is there a subject at school which you disliked, but you would consider learning now?
No, I loved school, so there was nothing much I disliked.
22. What is your favourite writing implement – a fountain pen, ballpoint pen, pencil or something else?
I like to write with a pen that has a semi fine point and does not smudge.
23. Do you own many mirrors?
Besides the ones in our 3 bathrooms, I have a handheld, a lighted make-up mirror, a free standing mirror in the bedroom and a couple of large mirrors in our gym in the basement.
The Blue Pool revisited
Feb. 7th, 2026 12:06puddleshark
Still raining. Will it ever stop? Probably. And even if it doesn't, the willows and the alder won't mind, and I suppose Spring will find a way, eventually. The daffodils in my garden are sulking. Not one flowering early. Even the little 'Tête-à-tête' daffs are saying "Nothing doing".
Paid a reduced price out-of-season visit to the Blue Pool, for old time's sake, but it was pretty grim. I should have stuck to my resolution never to visit again.
( Read more... )